Bluefin Tuna Crudo

About 2 seasons ago, crudos were all the rage on Top Chef.  Those who made other dishes started to get annoyed at how frequently a crudo would win a challenge, considering they usually didn't have any cooked components and were generally pretty easy to prepare.

But it's all about taste and texture, and when you try one yourself, you'll understand why a crudo is a tough dish to beat.  Italian for "raw", a crudo is a raw presentation of fish (tuna, whitefish, scallops - all make appearances in this category) served in a light marinade or sauce.  You can think of it like Italian sashimi, and it's actually really refreshing to see raw fish taken in another direction than the typical Japanese flavors.

I borrowed heavily from Rocco DiSpirito's recipe here, but added capers and thinly sliced basil for some extra flavor and color.  When prepared with high quality ingredients (especially the tuna), every element really shines here - the fish melts in your mouth and carries with it a lemony, briny, fresh essence that makes this a great summer dish.  Just make sure you consume it as quickly as possible, as it tastes best cold and the acidity of the lemon will start to cook the tuna before long.

Tuna Crudo
1/2 lb sashimi-grade tuna
1/2 large lemon
1 tbsp caper brine
1 tbsp capers
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pickled Calabrian or other Italian chili, finely minced
1 tbsp basil, fine chiffonade

Place tuna in freezer to allow it to chill and firm up.  It should spend around 10 minutes there, so if you need longer than that to prep the other ingredients, do so before adding it to the freezer.

Zest the lemon half and squeeze its juice into a bowl.  Add capers, chili, and caper brine, and stir together.

When tuna is thoroughly chilled, remove from freezer and slice against the grain into 1/4 slices.  Lay slices out on a platter and drizzle with olive oil.  Top with salt and pepper, and then spoon lemon and caper mixture over each piece.  Serve and consume immediately.